Saturday, March 31, 2007

Hanson's enthusiasm is contagious, even via email, and I think the following quote sums it up pretty nicely:

"Everyone knows Hollywood is broken. Hell, even Hollywood knows it. Their business model is hopelessly outdated for the digital age. But A Swarm of Angels isn't about competing with that, it's about creating a complementary entertainment ecology that is peer-to-peer friendly, and offers a way to create large-scale works that are free to give away and share."

Sunday, March 18, 2007

Perhaps the most effective and memorable of these longer stories is Gary Kemble's "Ad Infinitum". With a heady mixture of empathy and sadism, Kemble has his narrator (and hence his reader) awaken into a succession of increasingly disturbing nightmares. Themes of infidelity and guilt, overseas business travel and fears of crime and terrorism haunt each dream, hinting at the nature of the narrator's waking life and his overarching psychological and emotional state. Kemble, however, takes a surreal, Lynchian approach by keeping the markers of solid reality shifting, so that it’s never entirely clear what’s "real" and what isn't. The overall effect is at once disturbing and strangely moving.

Saturday, March 17, 2007

Got paid today for "Dead Air", a short story that will appear in Robert N Stephenson's upcoming zombie anthology. It's the first time I've been paid for something before publication. The anthology is slated for a September release.

Also just found out that my ultra-short story "Night Terrors" will appear in the Black Box charity e-anthology (Brimstone Press), alongside such dark fiction luminaries as Will Elliott (the 2006 Australian Shadows winner), Lee Battersby, Paul Haines and more.

Sunday, March 11, 2007

"The Devil in Brisbane is a charming and unique anthology. Using thirty stories all building on the same central premise, a portrayal of the art of writing, the character of the Devil in literature, and the colourful waterside city of Brisbane emerges that feels more rounded than it could in any one of the stories within. Images recur of writers' aspirations and dreams and the turbulent relationship they hold with writing. In some ways it is a self-indulgent anthology, written by and for writers. Reading it is a playful and warm experience, delightful for anyone who can relate to the angst and desire of the characters within; a perfect book for the dedicated wordsmith."